DESIGN DE REATORES, CONTROLE DE PROCESSOS E EDUCAÇÃO: UMA ABORDAGEM INTEGRADA NA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UMA MINI PLANTA PARA A PRODUÇÃO DE BIODIESEL
DESIGN DE REATORES, CONTROLE DE PROCESSOS E EDUCAÇÃO: UMA ABORDAGEM INTEGRADA NA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UMA MINI PLANTA PARA A PRODUÇÃO DE BIODIESEL
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DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.9412316108
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Palavras-chave: Desenvolvimento de processos, Biodiesel, Ensino de Engenharia Química, Conversão, Triglicerídeos
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Keywords: Process development, Biodiesel, Chemical Engineering Education, Conversion, Triglycerides
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Abstract: The scarcity of fossil fuels linked to the increasing energy demand and environmental issues resulted in the implementation of biofuels in the national energy matrix. Among the biofuels currently explored, biodiesel stands out due to its renewable, biodegradable, and lower toxicity characteristics. The traditional route for biodiesel production occurs through alkali-catalyzed transesterification in a homogeneous phase of triglycerides found in vegetable oils. Developing technologies to optimize the process and achieve selective biodiesel production using different types of raw materials is crucial to making the process economically viable. Thus, the present work aims to design, build, and evaluate the efficiency of a batch mini plant for biodiesel production, seeking to apply and integrate the knowledge acquired in the Chemical Engineering course disciplines. The materials used for the physical structure of the plant included stainless steel 304 and 316 connections and tubes. For the control of operation variables, an Arduino Nano microcontroller, flow sensors, infrared sensors, and temperature sensors were used. The efficiency of the mini plant was assessed through the study of the conversion of commercial soybean oil and used soybean oil, using NaOH as the catalyst and anhydrous ethanol as the esterifying agent. Thin-layer chromatography and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were employed to analyze biodiesel conversion. The analysis results demonstrated the conversion of triglycerides into biodiesel with yields of 89% and 84% (w/w) for the conversion of commercial soybean oil and used frying soybean oil, respectively. In addition, the mini plant will be used as a teaching tool in the subjects of thermodynamics, chemical reactors, process control and transport phenomena.
- Maurino Magno de Jesus Junior
- Ana Beatriz Neves Brito
- Carlos Minoru Nascimento Yoshioka